Overland Park man pulls people from burning car

Aftermath of Martin City wreck recorded on cellphone

A man who rescued two men from a burning car in Martin City late Tuesday said he was acting on adrenaline.

The men were inside a Corvette that burst into flames after it collided with a semitrailer.

Jim Russell of Overland Park said he was driving by the scene, and it was impossible to miss the way the flames lit up the sky.

He said he got to the car to check on the drivers and said they were both in bad shape.

"These men were both unconscious. They were both large men (with) bones sticking out in certain areas," he said. "These two gentleman, I'm positive, would have died had we not been able to pull them out."

He said the car's doors were jammed shut because of the smashed front end.

Russell said he and another man worked to pull the victims out of the car just before flames swept through the vehicle.

"(With) not much time, we got them out," he said. "Literally, within seconds, this thing was completely ablaze."

He said his instincts kicked in.

"It was adrenaline. We just fought, pulled and just literally had to pull them out of the car," Russell said.

After getting the people out of the wreck, Russell got out his cellphone and started to record video of the fire.

He said he isn't sure if the men know how close they were to dying. He said he hopes they will recover and be able to watch his video and see for themselves.

"How great would if be for them to look at this and say, 'You know what?' Maybe that will them realize how truly lucky they are to get this second chance," he said.

Russell said he does not consider himself a hero, a word he said he reserves for military men and women and first responders.